The Last Day
by saturns
Summary: Tomorrow's burden weighing heavily on his shoulders, Detective Gumshoe makes sure that his day spent with Maggey is a memorable one. Originally written for the PWKM.


A/N: This was written for the kink meme a while back and may have been one of the old fics I had up here, but now in the interest of compiling my pwkm fills (though I can't remember all of them) and getting into the habit of writing for this series again I wanted it to be posted here.

Prompt: A character of Anon's choice is going to die the next day. How does this character's lover spend the day with him/her? The death will be certain, but it can't be due to execution from a lost trial. Terminal illness, mafia shootout, suicide, etc., is all good. I'd prefer that it be something actiony like Edgey or Gummy dealing with the mob and knowing that it's not going to end well, but whatever floats Anon's boat.

* * *

Dick Gumshoe arrived at Maggey Byrde's apartment, after he had withdrawn some money from his bank account and stopped to pick up a movie rental and buy a bouquet of flowers for her. He had big news today; the Chief of Police had received information about one of the hideouts of Bruno Cadaverini's men, the group that was working behind the scenes in one of the detective's most recent cases. The Chief had selected some of his top officers for a raid on the location tomorrow, hoping to catch some of these criminals and begin to put an end to the hold that Cadaverini's group had on the area. He also warned these officers that the building would have several members inside at the time of the raid, and that the majority of them would be armed. He urged extreme caution, but also reminded his officers that this was a dangerous task, and that all of them may not make it out alive. They were thanked for their bravery in advance, and for protecting the city of Los Angeles, and most of all, he wished them luck.

Detective Gumshoe was selected for his prior experience with the mob, and for the knowledge he had gained while working on the case. From that moment, he was struck with a terrible feeling, and decided that the best thing he could do would be to spend his day with Maggey, the woman he loved with all his heart. Now that she had left the force, she wasn't aware of the current police operations, and Gumshoe felt it would be best if he didn't mention the one he was participating in tomorrow. Although he was usually very optimistic, he stopped to retrieve his small amount of savings, and he picked out the most beautiful bouquet that the flower shop had available. It was nice to be able to buy anything for Maggey, without being hindered by his ever decreasing salary.

He climbed the stairs to her apartment and knocked on the door, hoping that he would be convincing in hiding his uneasiness. She answered, and while she was surprised to see him, she was more surprised to see the large amount of flowers he was carrying.

She smiled when her eyes met his. "Dick, did you buy these for me? You really didn't have to. I know how you've been taking a hit with your pay recently and it-"

"N-no, it's all right, Maggey. Really. It's not a problem, pal. I want you to have them." He returned her smile with a nervous one.

He followed her in, passing the flowers to her so that she could find a suitable vase for them. Once she had them set, she turned to him and asked if there was anywhere he would like to go to today.

"Um, well, I was thinking. Maybe we could just stay here? I could make you some of my different-shaped pancakes that you like so much. And maybe we can just sit here, together? Just you and me, pal?" Fortunately, Maggey didn't seem concerned with this request, and she happily agreed that it was a lovely idea.

He got to work in the kitchen, making pancakes and anything else Maggey might enjoy, so that they could have breakfast-for-dinner together. He set everything at the table for them, eager for Maggey to see how he had put the best of his cooking abilities to use for her. The pancakes were slightly overcooked and the eggs were a bit overdone, but it was obvious that Gumshoe had put his heart and soul into preparing that meal.

Maggey was thrilled with dinner, despite the fact that it was far from perfect. It was made with love, as they say, and to her that was all that mattered.

"You've suprised me today, Dick." she said. "But you seem like you're on-edge. Is everything all right?" It seemed like she was catching on to the fact that something wasn't sitting right with Gumshoe.

"Of course, Maggey! I wouldn't want you to be worried about me." He paused for a moment. "Promise me that you'll never worry. That you'll always be happy?" He tried to remain strong, as he always did for her. Rather than dwelling on the issue, he retrieved the movie that he had gotten earlier from his back pocket. "I, uh, got that movie you've been wanting to see. I thought maybe we could watch it together tonight?"

Her eyes lit up with joy. "You're just the sweetest today, aren't you?" She threw her arms as far around him as she could and gave him a light kiss before taking the movie and starting it. She found a seat on the couch, and Gumshoe sat down next to her. "I've been wanting to see this for the longest time. I can't believe you managed to find a copy!" She moved close to him, resting against his arm and holding his large hand in both of hers.

He laughed. "I went to a few places. But I wanted to be sure that I would finally be able to track down a copy for you." He rested his free hand on top of her'sand spoke before the opening credits came to an end. "I love you Maggey, so much. Ever since the day we met when you first joined the force. And I can promise you that I always will."

Maggey looked up at Gumshoe, and bringing their lips together once more before the opening scene, she whispered that she loved him more with each day.

The movie had long since ended, and Detective Gumshoe had left for work early in the morning. Maggey woke up to find that the TV had been left on, with the local station's morning news being shown. She stood up from the couch and began to clear some of the leftover dishes from the previous night when the reporter's voice happened to catch her attention.

 _"It has now been confirmed that five officers' lives were lost during the raid on a large mob hideout this morning, although most members were apprehended at the scene and are being brought in for questioning now. Among the victims was Detective Dick Gumshoe, best known for his work on some of the biggest cases that the city has seen in recent years. Gumshoe was shot by one of the mob's escaping men and was pronounced dead at the scene. The-"_

Maggey found that she was completely frozen, and that her body had gone numb. She ran to the TV, crying and hoping that it must be a mistake, that there was no way the man she loved had been taken from her. The nearly tripped over the coffee table in front of the couch, and it was then that she noticed a note had been left for her. She picked it up and began to read, her vision only blurring as she did so.

 _My Sweet Maggey,_

 _I guess by now you've heard the news, and my worst suspicions turned out to be true. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, Maggey, for being a little selfish and not discussing this with you. But I know you would have told me not to go, and would've hidden my cars keys if you could. I wanted a perfect day with you, our last day together, and I didn't want my last memories of you to be tears in your eyes. This is something I had to do. I joined the force to protect people, and to make sure the ones I care about are protected as well. Especially you, Maggey. I hope that you will cherish our time together as much as I did, and I want you to know that seeing how happy you were last night meant the world to me. I went in there today wearing my favorite trenchcoat, a thoughtful gift from a thoughtful woman, and it's like I carried a part of you with me today, just like everyday. But I want you to promise me one thing, Maggey. Promise that you won't let yourself worry about me, and that you'll let yourself be happy. In return, I can promise you that I'll love you today and always._

 _All my love,_

 _Dick_

Maggey wept after she read his letter, his final message to her. She wept for the man she lost, for the sacrifice that he had made in the name of justice, and for the life they could never have together.


End file.
